The latest news on performances of Opera in San Diego.
Puccini Duo Of SUOR ANGELICA And GIANNI SCHICCHI Opens Next Month At San Diego Opera
by A.A. Cristi - January 12, 2023
San Diego Opera's 2022-2023 Season continues with The Puccini Duo: a double-bill of the tragic Suor Angelica and the witty comic opera Gianni Schicchi on Saturday, February 11, 2023 at the San Diego Civic Theatre for four performances. Additional performances are February 14, 17, and 19 (matinee), 2...
Michelle Bradley Returns To San Diego Opera To Sing Title Role Of Puccini's TOSCA March 2023
by A.A. Cristi - December 20, 2022
San Diego Opera's 2022-2023 Season continues with Puccini's Tosca on Saturday, March 25, 2023 at the San Diego Civic Theatre for four performances. Additional performances are March 28, 31, and April 2 (matinee), 2023. All evening performances take place at 7:30 PM, matinees at 2 PM....
The Puccini Duo: SUOR ANGELICA and GIANNI SCHICCHI Continues San Diego Opera's Mainstage Season
by A.A. Cristi - December 13, 2022
San Diego Opera's 2022-2023 Season continues with The Puccini Duo: a double-bill of the tragic Suor Angelica and the witty comic opera Gianni Schicchi on Saturday, February 11, 2023 at the San Diego Civic Theatre for four performances....
Review: ISABEL LEONARD and PABLO SÁINZ-VILLEGAS Together at The Conrad in La Jolla
by Ron Bierman - December 05, 2022
Mezzo Isabel Leonard and classical-guitarist Pablo Sáinz-Villegas are stars in their fields. Leonard has sung on two Grammy-winning opera recordings and won a Beverly Sills Artist Award at the Metropolitan Opera--and even guested on Sesame Street. He's garnered 30 international awards, including th...
San Diego Opera Announces Winning Proposals For OPERA HACK 3.0
by A.A. Cristi - November 08, 2022
San Diego Opera has announced the winning proposals of Opera Hack 3.0 have been awarded....
Review: SAN DIEGO OPERA'S WORLD PREMIERE OF THE LAST DREAM OF FRIDA AND DIEGO at the San Diego Civic Theater
by Ron Bierman - November 02, 2022
What did our critic think of SAN DIEGO OPERA'S WORLD PREMIERE OF THE LAST DREAM OF FRIDA AND DIEGO at San Diego Civic Theater? The San Diego Opera, reveling in modern phantasies, has followed its successful production of Aging Magician with El último sueño de Frida y Diego (The Last Dream ...
Review: DIDO AND AENEAS at Bodhi Tree Concerts is filled with 'Music, Love, Magic, And Tragedy'
by E.H. Reiter - September 24, 2022
The opera DIDO AND AENEAS may clock in under an hour, but this production by Bodhi Tree Concerts is a delightful evening spent at a theatre. Performances are only this weekend through Sunday, September 25th so don’t delay!...
World Premiere Of EL ÚLTIMO SUEÑO DE FRIDA Y DIEGO Opens San Diego Opera's Season In October
by A.A. Cristi - August 30, 2022
San Diego Opera will present the world premiere of Gabriela Lena Frank's El último sueño de Frida y Diego (The Last Dream of Frida and Diego) on Saturday, October 29, 2022 at the San Diego Civic Theatre for four performances....
San Diego Opera Announces World Premiere Of THE LAST DREAM OF FRIDA Y DIEGO By Composer Gabriela Lena Frank
by A.A. Cristi - July 26, 2022
San Diego Opera will present the world premiere of Gabriela Lena Frank's El último sueño de Frida y Diego (The Last Dream of Frida and Diego) on Saturday, October 29, 2022 at the San Diego Civic Theatre for four performances. Additional performances are November 1, 4, and 6 (matinee), 2022. ...
World Premiere of EL ULTIMÓ SUEÑO DE FRIDA Y DIEGO And More Announced for San Diego Opera 2022-2023 Season
by A.A. Cristi - May 22, 2022
The season opens with the world premiere of El ultimó sueño de Frida y Diego, the Company debut of Puccini's Suor Angelica, the return of Gianni Schicchi after a fifty-two-year absence, and performances of the beloved warhorse Tosca. The dētour Series consists of the world premiere of three one-a...
BWW Review: San Diego Opera's Production of AGING MAGICIAN at The Balboa Theatre Shows Off Magical Mystery
by Ron Bierman - May 20, 2022
'What the hell was that?' an opera fan asked her friend as we shuffled into a parking-garage elevator. Not an easily answered question after a viewing of AGING MAGICIAN. Ambiguity abounds and reality is mixed with fantasy. The reality side is clear, mostly. Harold is a middle-aged watch repairman...
San Diego Opera Announces Opera Hack 3.0
by Chloe Rabinowitz - April 26, 2022
San Diego Opera has announced Opera Hack 3.0, the third in a series of interdisciplinary summits for music/theater and technology experts to explore how technology can be applied to the production, presentation, and consumption of opera....
San Diego Opera's Season Closes Next Month With The West Coast Premiere Of AGING MAGICIAN
by A.A. Cristi - April 13, 2022
San Diego Opera's 2021-2022 will close with the West Coast Premiere of Aging Magician a hybrid opera/theatre piece that combines singing, choral work, puppetry, and performance art to create an incredibly unique theatrical experience. Originally scheduled for our 2019-2020 season, and postponed beca...
BWW Review: San Diego Opera's Creative and Effective ROMEO AND JULIET
by Ron Bierman - April 02, 2022
Gounod’s overture introduces ROMEO AND JULIET with a prophetic mix of lyrical romance and tragedy. Yves Abel, the Principal Conductor of the San Diego Opera, is an expert in French opera and made sure that resonant brass and lush strings produced the mood a Parisian composer of the time would have...
San Diego Opera Announces Matthew E. Graber As Chief Marketing Officer
by A.A. Cristi - March 17, 2022
San Diego Opera has announced that Matthew E. Graber has been appointed to the position of Chief Marketing Officer after a national search, replacing the previous CMO who retired in 2021. ...
West Coast Premiere of AGING MAGICIAN to Close San Diego Opera's 2021-2022 Season
by Chloe Rabinowitz - March 15, 2022
San Diego Opera's 2021 2022 will close with the West Coast Premiere of Aging Magician a hybrid opera/theatre piece that combines singing, choral work, puppetry, and performance art to create an incredibly unique theatrical experience....
Yves Abel of SAN DIEGO OPERA'S ROMEO AND JULIET at San Diego Civic Center
by Ron Bierman - March 14, 2022
Conductor Yves Abel arrived in San Diego from Europe a few days ago to begin rehearsals for Romeo and Juliet by French composer Charles Gounod. The Maestro does get around a lot, even for an internationally in-demand musician. His wife and boys five and eight sometimes travel with him when he condu...
San Diego Opera's Season Closes With The West Coast Premiere Of AGING MAGICIAN
by A.A. Cristi - February 23, 2022
San Diego Opera's 2021-2022 will close with the West Coast Premiere of Aging Magician a hybrid opera/theatre piece that combines singing, choral work, puppetry, and performance art to create an incredibly unique theatrical experience. Originally scheduled for our 2019-2020 season, and postponed beca...
BWW Review: San Diego Opera's MOZART'S COSI FAN TUTTE at San Diego Civic Center
by Ron Bierman - February 17, 2022
I admire the plucky inventiveness of the San Diego Opera. On an annual budget of roughly three percent of New York’s Metropolitan Opera, it has managed to mount a consistently appealing and entertaining variety of productions, traditional and contemporary, in both good times and plague times. The ...
San Diego Opera's Season Continues With ROMEO ET JULIETTE
by A.A. Cristi - February 16, 2022
Gounod's masterpiece of grand French opera, Roméo et Juliette, continues San Diego Opera's 2021-2022 season when it opens on Saturday, March, 26, 2022 for four performances at the San Diego Civic Theatre. ...
VIDEO: San Diego Opera Presents Mozart's COSÌ FAN TUTTE
by Alan Henry - February 15, 2022
San Diego Opera presents Mozart's Così fan tutte at the Civic Theatre in downtown San Diego, February 12-20, 2022. ...
Reginald Smith, Jr. in SAN DIEGO OPERA'S COSI FAN TUTTE at San Diego Civic Center
by Ron Bierman - February 10, 2022
'I'm just Reggie from Atlanta' baritone Reginald Smith, Jr. explained during our hour-long discussion on Zoom. That may be how he would like to view himself, but it's hardly how most others do since he's also a Grammy winning opera star who's performed at the Met. Until high school, neither o...
San Diego Opera's Main Stage Season Begins With COSI FAN TUTTE At The San Diego Civic Theatre Next Month
by A.A. Cristi - January 13, 2022
Mozart's opera, Così fan tutte, opens on Saturday February 12, 2022 for four performances at the San Diego Civic Theatre. Additional performances are February 15, 18, and 20 (matinee), 2022. These performances mark the Company's safe return to the Civic Theatre since February of 2020 and the first ...
San Diego Opera Announces Life Science Night At The Opera For The Biotech Industry for ROMEO ET JULIETTE
by A.A. Cristi - January 11, 2022
San Diego Opera will celebrate the local biotech tech industry with Life Sciences Night at the Opera, an evening of opera and networking with top executives from the local life sciences industry. Life Sciences Night at the Opera event is co-chaired by Joe Panetta, President and CEO Biocom California...
San Diego Opera's Mainstage Season Continues In March With Gounod's ROMEO ET JULIETTE
by A.A. Cristi - January 04, 2022
Gounod's masterpiece of grand French opera, Roméo et Juliette, continues San Diego Opera's 2021-2022 season when it opens on Saturday, March, 26, 2022 for four performances at the San Diego Civic Theatre. Additional performances are March 29, April 1, and 3 (matinee), 2022....
San Diego Opera's Main Stage Season Begins February 2022 With New Production Of COSI FAN TUTTE
by A.A. Cristi - December 14, 2021
Mozart's opera, Così fan tutte, opens on Saturday February 12, 2022 for four performances at the San Diego Civic Theatre. Additional performances are February 15, 18, and 20 (matinee), 2022. These performances mark the Company's safe return to the Civic Theatre since February of 2020 and the first ...
BWW Review: SAN DIEGO OPERA PRESENTS ARTURO CHACÓN-CRUZ at California Center For The Arts, Escondido
by Ron Bierman - December 09, 2021
It seems variety is the spice of classical music and opera in San Diego. The city’s symphony orchestra plans to appear in a dozen or more venues next year, and the opera company has used a different venue for each of its three recent recital concerts. The latest of these featured Mexican-born teno...
Mozart's COSÌ FAN TUTTE Opens San Diego Opera's Mainstage Season, February 12
by A.A. Cristi - November 17, 2021
Mozart's opera, Così fan tutte, opens on Saturday February 12, 2022 for four performances at the San Diego Civic Theatre. Additional performances are February 15, 18, and 20 (matinee), 2022. These performances mark the Company's safe return to the Civic Theatre since February of 2020 and the first ...
BWW Review: The San Diego Opera Presents STEPHANIE BLYTHE IN RECITAL at the Balboa Theatre
by Ron Bierman - October 26, 2021
The imposing mezzo soprano Stephanie Blythe is known for her roles in Wagner, Verdi and Stravinsky. Why would she begin a Balboa Theatre recital for the San Diego Opera with Johnny Mercer’s 'Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive?” Here’s what she said in a recent interview, “I’ve been a great fan ...
San Diego Opera's 2021-2022 Season Opens Next Month With Stephanie Blythe In Concert
by A.A. Cristi - September 23, 2021
San Diego Opera's safe return to indoor performances begins with three intimate concerts showcasing some of today's most exciting singers with a varied and diverse repertoire of opera, show tunes, spirituals, and zarzuela, as well as a number of surprises....
David Bennett of THE SAN DIEGO OPERA
by Ron Bierman - September 10, 2021
David Bennett is now six years into his job as general director of the San Diego Opera Association. When hired, he faced shaky finances, a loss of major donors, and huge turnover in the membership of the board of directors. The new board hired him with the understanding that downsizing and reinventi...
San Diego Opera to Launch New Season This October
by A.A. Cristi - August 24, 2021
San Diego Opera's safe return to indoor performances begins with three intimate concerts showcasing some of today's most exciting singers with a varied and diverse repertoire of opera, show tunes, spirituals, and zarzuela, as well as a number of surprises. ...
San Diego Opera Announces Winning Proposals For OperaHack 2.0
by A.A. Cristi - August 12, 2021
San Diego Opera has announced the winning proposals from the Company's second “Opera Hack,” a month-long online interdisciplinary event for music/theater and technology experts to explore how technology can be applied to the production, presentation, and consumption of opera. ...
BWW Review: SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY'S OPENING CONCERT AT THE NEW RADY SHELL AMPHITHEATER in Jacobs Park
by Ron Bierman - August 11, 2021
What was a makes-you-jump BOOM!! doing in Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue? Had someone mistakenly lit an 1812 Overture cannon? Were we under attack?! Oh wait! It was just a bass drum resonating through the San Diego Symphony’s spectacular new state-of-the-art sound system at the Rady Shell. And so, ...
San Diego Opera's 2021-2022 Season to Open with Three Intimate Concerts
by Chloe Rabinowitz - July 27, 2021
San Diego Opera’s safe return to indoor performances begins with three intimate concerts showcasing some of today’s most exciting singers with a varied and diverse repertoire of opera, show tunes, spirituals, and zarzuela, as well as a number of surprises....
BWW Feature: SAN DIEGO'S CLASSICAL MUSIC SCENE
by Ron Bierman - July 07, 2021
San Diego’s classical music scene coped with the COVID-19 invasion by trading shuttered concert halls for parking lots and online media. Appreciative bravos and bravas were replaced by either honking horns, flashing headlights or painful silence. The city’s Mainly Mozart was an early adopter ...
San Diego Opera Announces 2021-2022 Season
by Chloe Rabinowitz - June 28, 2021
San Diego Opera has announced its 2021-2022 season, which returns to theatres indoors, after a reduced 2020-2021 season that saw the Company perform innovative drive-in productions during the global coronavirus pandemic....
BWW Review: THE SAN DIEGO OPERA'S BARBER OF SEVILLE at Pechanga Sports Arena
by Ron Bierman - April 29, 2021
The San Diego Opera continued its quixotic foray into parking-lot adventures with The Barber of Seville by Rossini, social distancing once again forcing substantial changes to a production's length and cast size. Revisions to libretto, costumes, set and lighting went all out for a zany farcical effe...